First, the facts: the odds of choosing the correct sequence of numbers to win a Division 1 Powerball prize are listed as 134,490,400 to one. Each entry represents a vanishingly small chance to win the full jackpot. It would be possible to enter a different combination of numbers on the hour, every hour, for more than 15,000 years straight before you hit the top prize for a single Powerball draw. If you did so, you would likely watch the fall of human civilisation before winning the big one.
That said, people do win them. Like the Sydney healthcare worker who scooped up the entirety of yesterday’s record-breaking $107 million Division 1 prize.
The Lott states the healthcare professional, who perhaps wisely chose to remain anonymous, initially believed she had netted $107,000 with her choice of the numbers 20, 18, 33, 22, 11, 26, 4 and 9.
“Oh my God, $107,000! That’s amazing!” she told the Lott.
“Wait – are you telling me I’ve won $107 million? Oh my God! That is just so much money.”
After being informed of the windfall, she said she would be donating the cash to charity, sharing it with her family, and would perhaps buy a caravan in order to tour around Australia. Notably, the Lott states she didn’t indicate she would leave her job. Bless.
Last night’s immense draw was originally tipped to include a $100 million Division 1 prize, but the sheer influx of entries ballooned that total to $107,575,649. It represents the largest single entry lottery win in Australian history.
For what it’s worth, another 3,856,275 cash prizes totalling $68.4 million were awarded to folks who won in divisions 2 through 9. Again, we must stress the odds of winning big are astronomically small, but Christ, it’s harrowing when it happens.
